Welcome

Hello! I am an elementary school teacher with three great little boys. I am also a Weight Watchers fanatic! I have found that after a while I got sick of eating the same things over and over again. I also find it very challenging to cook recipes that my stick-thin husband and children will find tasty, while also being healthy and low fat. But, I am always up for a challenge!Most of the recipes I have and will post will include WW points and will have been approved by my own little “peanut gallery”. My goal is to eventually build up some amazing menus that I can serve to just about anyone!

To prepare dipping sauce, combine first 5 ingredients, stirring well with a whisk.

To prepare dumplings, place mushrooms, onions, carrot, ginger, and vinegar in a food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped, scraping sides. Combine mushroom mixture and egg whites in a large bowl; add turkey, stirring until combined.

Working with 1 gyoza skin at a time (cover remaining skins to keep from drying), spoon about 1 tablespoon turkey mixture into center of each skin. Moisten edges of skin with water. Fold in half, pinching edges together to seal. Place dumpling on a baking sheet (cover loosely with a towel to keep from drying). Repeat procedure with remaining skins and turkey mixture.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

I got this recipe from a Weight Watcher's Meeting. So far, this is the easiest recipe I have ever made. And coincidentally, it is also the most popular in my house! We like to serve it over fat-fee hot dogs and reduced calorie hot dog buns.

*Using diced tomatoes instead of tomato sauce will save you 1 point per serving.

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375ºF.

Boil pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Steam broccoli with a little water, covered in microwave, for about 6 minutes. Drain well and pat dry.

Combine broccoli, mushrooms, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, egg white, garlic, oregano, basil, and pepper. Stir together until well blended. Pour 1/2 cup pasta sauce or tomatoes over bottom of 8x8 square baking pan. Spoon 1 round tablespoon of filling into each shell and place open-side up in an even layer in the pan. Pour remaining sauce or tomatoes over and around shells. Cover pan with foil. Bake at 375ºF for about 25 minutes until heated through, and serve.

InstructionsPreheat oven to 350 º. Spray pan with cooking spray. Saute chicken. Add onion and garlic. Cook until onion is brown. In a large bowl, combine the chicken with the enchilada sauce, onion, garlic, cilantro, and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese. Divide the chicken mixture among the 8 tortillas. Roll tortillas and place seam-side down in a 9- by 13-inch pan. Spread soup mixture over roll-ups and top with the remaining cheese. Bake 30 minutes.

InstructionsSlice potatoes; halve any large slices. In a large skillet cook potatoes and fresh green beans in water covered about 15 minutes or until potatoes and beans are tender. (if using frozen green beans, add to potatoes last 5minutes of cooking) Meanwhile, in a small saucepan brown the chopped onion in some cooking spray. Stir the following ingredients in with the onion: yogurt, flour, mustard, dill weed, and pepper. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Pour over veggies in skillet. Stir in ham. heat through.

InstructionsPreheat oven to 400°.To prepare dough, combine 9 tablespoons water and vinegar. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a food processor; pulse 2 times to combine. Add butter; process until mixture resembles coarse meal. With processor on, slowly pour water mixture through food chute; process just until dough begins to form a ball (dough will be crumbly).

Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Working with one dough portion at a time, press dough into a 4-inch circle on heavy-duty plastic wrap. Cover with additional plastic wrap. Place dough in freezer 5 minutes or until plastic wrap can be easily removed.

Slightly overlap 2 sheets of plastic wrap on a slightly damp surface. Unwrap 1 dough portion; place on plastic wrap. Cover dough with 2 additional sheets of overlapping plastic wrap. Roll dough, still covered, into an 11-inch circle. Repeat procedure with remaining dough. Place both portions in freezer for 5 minutes or until plastic wrap can be easily removed.

Putting it All TogetherRemove plastic wrap from 1 dough portion; place dough, plastic wrap side up, on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Remove top sheets of plastic wrap. Spoon filling onto dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Remove top sheets of plastic wrap from remaining dough. Place dough, plastic wrap side up, over filling. Remove top sheets of plastic wrap. Pinch edges together to seal. Cut several slits in top of dough to allow steam to escape. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until crust is crisp and beginning to brown. Cut into 8 wedges.

* Cook pasta according to package directions without added fat or salt; drain and set aside.

* Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat; add garlic and sauté 2 minutes. Add beef and cook until browned, breaking up the meat as it cooks, about 3 to 5 minutes; drain off any fat and return pan to heat.

* Spoon a small amount of tomato mixture into the bottom of a 4-quart casserole dish (just enough to cover the surface). Top with half of the cooked ziti and then layer with half of the remaining tomato sauce and half of the mozzarella cheese. Layer remaining ziti on top and top with remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese. Bake until cheese is golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.Spray the inside of custard cups with non-stick cooking spray. Gently press the tortillas into the cups. Bake for 8 minutes at 400 degrees. Cool for 2 minutes and remove from the cups.

Combine first 3 ingredients, stirring well. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over chicken. Add chicken to pan; sauté for 3 minutes. Add onion, corn, bell pepper and beans to pan; sauté for 2 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in salsa and 2 tablespoons cilantro. Cook 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently.

Spoon the mixture into the shell. Sprinkle each serving with about 3/4 teaspoon of remaining cilantro. Serve immediately.

Friday, October 12, 2007

InstructionsPreheat the oven to 450. Spray a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with nonstick coating. Cut the potatoes into wedges. Arrange potatoes in a single layer in pan. Combine margarine, salt, and nutmeg. Brush onto potatoes. Bake for 20 minutes or until brown and tender.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with Cajun seasoning. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan, and cook 7 minutes on each side or until done. Cut chicken into 1/4-inch-thick slices; set aside.

Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and next 4 ingredients (bell pepper through garlic); sauté 7 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle with flour, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in the Worcestershire; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until slightly thick. Remove from heat; stir in 3/4 cup green onions, 6 tablespoons cheese, and 3 tablespoons parsley. Add chicken and pasta to sauce mixture; toss well to combine.

InstructionsCombine all of the ingredients except the sauce, the noodles and the mozarella.

Spray a 9 × 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Spread 1 cup of the sauce over the bottom of the pan. Arrange 4 pieces of lasagne (3 lengthwise, 1 widthwise) over the sauce. Cover with 1 1/2 cups of the sauce. Spread half the Ricotta mixture on top. Arrange another 4 pieces of lasagne over Ricotta, and top with another cup of the sauce. Spread remaining Ricotta mixture on top. Arrange final 4 pieces of lasagne over Ricotta mixture and cover with remaining sauce.

In a skillet, cook beef, onion and green pepper until beef is browned. Drain. In a bowl, add all other ingredients except for the tortillas and stir. In a crockpot, layer about 3/4 beef mixture, then a tortilla. Repeat layers with all 6 tortillas. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hrs or until heated through. (you can also cut up tortillas and stir into mixture)

Combine the first 6 ingredients; toss well. Spread Alfredo sauce evenly over crust; top with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and red pepper. Bake at 450° for 12 minutes or until crust is crisp. Cut into 6 wedges.